Overview
Known For
Michigan is known for its rich, passionate hunting history, especially for whitetail, duck, turkey, and black bear. There are limited opportunities for elk hunting, too.
Terrain
Michigan’s terrain is primarily rolling hills and heavily-forested low mountains in the southernmost part and flatlands interspersed with hills in the northernmost section. On its western edge is Lake Michigan, the third largest of the Great Lakes and the only one entirely within the United States.
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Michigan Hunting Seasons
BMU: Bergland, Baraga, Amasa, Carney, Gwinn, Newberry, Drummond Island
BMU: Red Oak, Baldwin, and Gladwin
BMU: Bergland, Baraga, Amasa, Carney, Gwinn, and Newberry
BMU: Bergland, Baraga, Amasa, Carney, Gwinn, and Newberry
BMU: Red Oak, Baldwin, and Gladwin
Dark Goose Limit: 5 (Canada, Brant, White-fronted)
Light Goose Limit: 20 (Snow, Blue, Ross’s)
Michigan Licenses, Permits, and Regulations
Michigan hunting licenses, permits, and regulations for resident and non-resident hunters can be purchased on the official website of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Click below to view the website.
Hunting GPS Maps
Every Michigan hunter should have hunting GPS maps on hand. Michigan hunting maps are available from onX Hunt. With a paid membership you can access Satellite, Topo, or Hybrid Basemaps, over which you can view maps of deer hunting zones, along with State, Forest Service, and other public and private property boundaries. You can view trails and roads, and even download maps to the Hunt App for use offline. Click below to get onX Hunt for Michigan.
Hunting Zones
Michigan is divided into Hunting and Trapping Zones 1, 2, and 3. Zone 1 includes all of the Upper Peninsula. In addition to defined hunting zones, there are different hunting zones for waterfowl hunting and limited rifle deer zone. Legal shooting times differ within the state as well because Michigan includes parts of the Eastern Time Zone and Central Time Zone. Click below to view Michigan’s hunting zones in more detail through an interactive map.
Hunting Layers
MI Private Lands
Over 4,100,000 parcels mapped by the onX team, this layer helps you know who the property owners are in Michigan. Tap any parcel to learn more info about the owner and acreage.
MI Gov Lands
onX has the most accurate maps of Gov Lands, covering over 9,200,000 acres in Michigan. Not all Gov Lands offer access opportunities, check regulations before recreating.
MI Hunt Mgmt Units
Michigan Bear, Bobcat, Deer, Deer Multicounty, Deer Multicounty Regional, and Elk Hunt Management Units. Please hunt responsibly and have a safe legal hunt.
Includes 9 Sublayers
- Bear Hunt Units
- Bobcat Hunt Units
- Deer Mgmt Units (DMUs)
- DMU Multicounty
- DMU Multicounty Regional
- Elk (Sept/Oct) Hunt Units
- Elk (December) Hunt Units
- Spring Turkey Hunt Units
- Fall Turkey Management Units
MI Possible Access
onX has mapped 350,000 acres of possible access lands in Michigan including timber companies and land conservation groups. Research rules on these private lands before recreating.
MI Commercial Forest Program
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Commercial Forests. Please hunt responsibly, obey all signage and have a safe legal hunt.
MI Hunting Access Program
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Hunting Access Program. All hunters are expected to know the rules of the program. Please hunt responsibly and have a safe legal hunt.
MI Limited Firearm Deer Zone Boundary
Michigan Limited Firearm deer hunting boundary. South of this line firearms have more restrictions. Please hunt responsibly, obey all signage and have a safe legal hunt.
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